A simple entrepreneurial idea has kept a Top End businessman busy protecting water bottles
A simple, but functional addition, to a popular water bottle brand has kept one Top End businessman busy.
Northern Territory
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Aaron Sammut had a light bulb moment when he realised a product widely loved by Territorians could be enhanced with a simple addition.
While working at Fishing and Outdoor World in the Darwin CBD, he noticed customers returning with dents in the steel at the bottom of a popular drinkware brand.
Aaron Sammut saw an opportunity to make an already popular product better.
That’s when the idea of Essential Armour was born – a silicon base seemed a simple but functional addition.
“A lot of your steel drinkware there’s no protection on the bottom,” Mr Sammut said.
“So firstly, we wanted something to protect the bottle and then something to jazz them up a little bit.”
The silicon piece is as big as the palm of a hand and fits snug on the bottom of certain steel water bottles.
With more than 15 colours, the straightforward design has proven popular among the Top End community and is now sold over the counter of 14 retail shops around Australia and also online.
“For a company that started in the Northern Territory to have someone order something online and they’re in Albany you’re like ‘wow the word has spread’, which is cool,” Mr Sammut said
With a 15-month-old child to care for, the 32-year-old and his partner worked out of their Rapid Creek home to design the product.
“It’s a thrill seeing your product out there and knowing people are using it and getting the best out of it,” he said.
“Now when I see a bottle without one I want to tell people about the product because I’m so passionate about it and it’s got such a good purpose.”
First launched in Mr Sammut’s place of work, the silicon addition has since “aggressively” climbed in sales, particularly in the last month.
He estimated the Darwin store sold about 15 to 20 pieces a day, which he believed was capturing only about 10 per cent of target customers.
Mr Sammut works on the project after he heads home for the day from his normal job.
“We love doing it, I don’t mind packing them late at night,” he said.
“When you’ve built something from the ground up you’ve got this sense of satisfaction,” he said.
“It’s new for us but we’re really enjoying it.”
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Originally published as A simple entrepreneurial idea has kept a Top End businessman busy protecting water bottles
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